AT&T Internet

The AT&T company has roots stretching back to the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell and his future father-in-law established the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1885. Early acquisitions helped AT&T establish dominance over telephone services in the United States that lasted into the 1980s.

Today AT&T is the world’s leader in communications and technology. It is one of the largest providers of mobile telephone services, TV and internet broadband services in the U.S. AT&T services are available in more than 21 states along with customized content, services, and applications. Their internet plans can be bundled with any other AT&T plan including AT&T phone, AT&T Mobility and DirecTV. AT&T also offers a branded AT&T TV service as well as it's 1 Gig AT&T Internet 1000 fiber internet.

Features of AT&T's high speed internet include:

• Advertised download speeds of up to 1 Gig (940 Mbps) with unlimited internet data in select areas with fiber internet service.
• AT&T Internet speeds of up to 100 Mbps in select areas if fiber internet is not available in your area.
• Fixed wireless with download speeds of up to 25 Mbps in select areas. Speeds may vary based on environmental factors.
• Included Wi-Fi Gateway router to connect your devices plus the AT&T Smart Home Manager App to control wifi schedules for connected devices and provide parental controls.
• Self-install kits and professional installation available.
• Internet service customers get access to the national AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot Network at no charge.
• Most AT&T internet plans come with a relatively high 1 TB data limit but unlimited internet data is available with some plans for an additional monthly fee.
• Qualify for additional discounts and online-only deals including AT&T high speed internet. Additional promotions are available for customers, with many standalone internet plans and TV internet bundles when you order online.

History of AT&T

Founded as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1885, AT&T has managed to stay relevent through a strong focus on innovation, acquisition and the implementation of new communications technologies.

In 1925 AT&T created Bell Telephone Laboratories. Bell Labs, as it was commonly known, was the research and development branch of the company. It was responsible for such innovations as radio astronomy, the transistor, the photovoltaic cell and the C programming language. Fifty years later researchers at the lab would create the Unix computer operating system, which eventually became the underlying language of the internet for AT&T. Bell Labs has been instrumental in furthering the progress of science and technology and their work has been recognized with 9 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.

Major advances in radio technology and growing demand for mobile communication led Bell Labs to work on developing a system for placing and receiving telephone calls inside automobiles. In 1949, they introduced their mobile service as the Mobile Telephone Service. Operators at a switchboard would connect customers who used a device more like a military radio than a common telephone. It is in this time that Bell Labs engineers coined the term “cells” to describe the idea of network communication. This concept would lead Bell Labs to develop a mobile telephone network for automobiles.

In 1949 AT&T came under fire for allowing its subsidiary, Western Electric to be the only supplier of phones that could work with their network. Seven years later in 1956, even though the parent company ended up maintaining control over Western Electric, AT&T was restricted to its primary role of connecting phones over their network. They also agreed to license patents to potential competitors. As part of their agreement with the U.S. government, and despite the company's role in their development, AT&T was effectively banned from selling computers .

A revolutionary moment for AT&T was the launch of Telstar I on July 10, 1962, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellite was responsible for the first telephone call transmitted through space and the first transatlantic live television signal from Maine, U.S.A. to Brittany, France. It was also the world's first commercial payload in space. Although operational for only a few months Telstar laid the groundwork for all future global communications.

In 1968 the Federal Communications Commission opened up the phone market by allowing other devices to connect to the AT&T network. A stipulation was that the connections did not cause a disruption in service. This led to growth in the communications market and new technology including answering machines, fax machines, cordless phones and dialup computer modems.

AT&T’s monopoly ended in 1982 with yet another government lawsuit. The company was forced to split off its local phone networks, which became Regional Bell Operating Companies, commonly known as “Baby Bells”. One of these, the Southwestern Bell Corporation will eventually play a large role in AT&T’s future. In this settlement, they also lost control over the Yellow Pages and half of Bell Laboratories. A positive takeaway for AT&T in this agreement was the lifting of the 1956 ban on the sales of computers and related lines of business.

Leading the way in communication technology, AT&T, joining forces with British Telecom and France Télécom in 1988 connecting the continents of North America and Europe with the first fiber optic cable. The TAT-8 cable stretched a distance of 3632 mi across the Atlantic Ocean floor and had 10 times the capacity of the previously laid copper cable.

Capitalizing on their freedom to move into the computer market, in 1991, AT&T merged with NCR Corporation in a $7.3 billion deal giving the company a chance to become a significant competitor in the computer data and information communications industry. Not slowing down AT&T acquired McCaw Cellular in 1994 for $11.5 billion giving the company direct access to a growing wireless communication market.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 brought about some changes for AT&T. The Act opened up the market in the communications industry and encouraged competition among the businesses involved in a variety of industries. Its main goal was to make the benefits of technology and distance communication available to all members of the public. It was at this time, Bell Labs was spun off as Lucent Technologies.

They say that breaking up is hard to do, apparently not for AT&T in 2000. The company proceeded with a plan to break off its cable television operation and its wireless division as separate companies. It maintained control of its global communications network and the division that served both the consumer and business customers.

After the split of 1982 and due to the open market created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the Southwestern Bell Corporation, an AT&T “Baby Bell”, grew enough to acquire its former parent company, creating the “new” AT&T in 2005.

The 2000s also saw the new AT&T acquire another “Baby Bell”, BellSouth. Along with BellSouth came Cingular Wireless, one of AT&T’s former cellular services. Wireless services were becoming the new core of AT&T. Landlines were less popular which led the company to extend its high-speed internet service into rural areas of the United States. Another purchase, Dobson Cellular, renamed AT&T’s Cellular One, further pushed the company’s dominance in rural areas. AT&T ended the decade by increasing its public Wi-Fi presence through its investment in Wayport, Inc. The incorporation of this major internet hotspot provider allowed the company to increase its public Wi-Fi deployment by 20,000 hotspots across the United States.

In the next decade, AT&T underwent its most daring push into the telecommunications industry. The company bought wireless frequency spectrum from Qualcomm and acquired Leap Wireless. This increase spectrum bandwidth expanded AT&T's 4G wireless service in the U.S. and increased service for customers using smartphones and other mobile devices.

Looking for diversification in their portfolio, AT&T’s purchase of DirecTV in 2014 increased its market share in the pay-TV sector. Along with the purchase AT&T was required to expand its fiber optic broadband service and offer low-cost services for low-income households. After the acquisition, the company converged its existing U-verse Internet Protocol TV with DirecTV, creating AT&T Entertainment.

AT&T, in one of its biggest moves proposed to acquire Time Warner in 2016. This $108.7 billion dollar deal would connect the company to HBO, Turner Broadcasting System and the Warner Bros. studio. The U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division once again opposed another AT&T deal. The division opposed the merger because it would combine two different kinds of companies, a telecom with a media and entertainment company. They informed AT&T that they must sell either DirecTV or Turner Broadcasting System for the merger to proceed. Despite this opposition, AT&T managed to win their battle and in 2018 the acquisition of Time Warner was finalized.

In late 2018 AT&T made some changes to its company’s structure. Four divisions were created: Communications, WarnerMedia, Latin America, and Advertising & Analytics. The AT&T Communications segment included Mobility (wireless service and equipment), Entertainment Group (video, broadband), and Business Wireline. WarnerMedia, formerly Time Warner, included Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros., and Home Box Office. The Latin America segment provided entertainment and wireless services outside of the U.S. The Advertising & Analytics segment, Xandr, was responsible for advertising services.

AT&T remains a world’s leader in communications and technology and has been innovating for more than a century . They are one of the largest providers of mobile telephone services, TV and internet broadband services in the U.S. AT&T services can be found in over 21 states along with customized content, services, and applications. Their internet can be bundled with any other AT&T services including AT&T phone, AT&T Mobility and DirecTV. AT&T offers a branded AT&T TV service as well as it's 1 Gig (~940 Mbps) fiber internet service. While not all of their services may be available in your area, availability of their tv, internet and data products is steadily increasing as they expand their infrastructure and roll-out new technologies.

Finding the Right AT&T Internet Plans for You

AT&T Internet Services and AT&T Fiber Internet

AT&T INTERNET 100

• Streaming HD videos, online gaming, and large file sharing.
• 100 Mbps upload and download speeds
• $35/mo. + taxes & equipment fee

AT&T INTERNET 300

• Multiple users who binge, stream, and share large files.
• 300 Mbps upload and download speeds
• $55/mo. + taxes & equipment fee

AT&T INTERNET 1000

• AT&T Internet 1000 is a fiber internet connection that powers strong whole-home Wi-Fi with unlimited data and 20x faster upload speeds than cable. Best for connected homes, online gamers, and home office power users.
• 940 Mbps data upload and download speeds
• $80/mo. + taxes & equipment fee
• May not be available in your area.

AT&T Fixed Wireless Internet

• AT&T Internet Fixed Wireless delivers internet service to select rural households and businesses via an outdoor antenna.
• 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speeds
• 250GB/mo. of data, overage fees apply.
• $49.99/mo. for 12 mos. + taxes

Prices for AT&T Internet 100, AT&T Internet 300 abd AT&T Internet 1000 are for new residential customers. Pricing for the first 12 mos. only. After 12 mos., then the prevailing rate applies unless canceled by the customer prior to the end of 12 months. Additional Fees & Taxes: AT&T one-time transactional fees, a $10/mo. equipment fee and monthly cost recovery surcharges which are not government-required may apply, as well as taxes. Installation: $99 installation for full tech install. Credit restrictions apply. Pricing and fees subject to change.

AT&T speed claims represent maximum network service capability internet speeds and are based on a wired connection to a gateway. Actual customer internet speeds are not guaranteed and internet speeds may vary based on several factors.

Why order Internet with AT&T?

Like many of the nation's traditional telecom providers, AT&T has been modernizing and upgrading its network infrastructure from copper to fiber internet for the last several years. Not surprisingly, larger metro areas and more densely populated communities have been prioritized, but larger-scale internet service infrastructure upgrades are starting to reach smaller communities as well. In areas where the regional internet infrastructure and equipment has been upgraded, internet speeds that exceed copper-line DSL limitations may be offered, but full 1 Gig (940 Mbps) service may not be available. To benefit fully from gigabit speeds, internet infrastructure must be upgraded at a neighbourhood level and fiber must be run directly into the home.

In some rural areas where availability of copper-line DSL or fiber internet infrastructure is poor, AT&T offers "fixed wireless" internet. Wimax internet service which can provide speeds of up to 25 Mbps using a directional antenna. As with most AT&T internet plans, upload speeds are typically 10 to 20% the speed of download speeds. Also, the connection speeds may vary due to weather conditions like rain and fog, which can interfere. However, the weather is a factor more often with satellite internet.

Since AT&T offers landline and mobile phone service, wireless data services, as well as satellite TV through it's DirecTV subsidiary, customers can often gain additional savings by bundling several products. Customers who have AT&T internet service may benefit from discounts on TV or wireless internet plans. While the amounts can vary based on location and the services involved, loyalty discounts are typically available for those looking to bundle other AT&T products with their internet service.

Internet from AT&T is usually offered with attractive introductory pricing for new customers, typically lasting for 1 year, and upfront incentives that can include reward cards or limited trials of new products. While these incentives can be a short-term money-saver for customers, it's worth mentioning that a 24 month agreement is typically required and prices are higher in the 2nd year. Early termination fees may apply if customers cancel internet service prior to the end of their agreement. Fees might also apply for exceeding your monthly data cap unless the plan offers unlimited data. The data allowance for a typical AT&T internet plan is generally high enough for most home users, but heavy users may opt to pay extra for an unlimited data allowance. Other typical fees may include an equipment fee, generally $10 mo, installation fees and local TV access fees (where applicable).

AT&T internet competitors include DSL and fiber internet providers like Verizon, Frontier and CenturyLink along with cable providers like Spectrum and Xfinity (Comcast). They also compete with EarthLink Internet who operates as a value-added service provider on the AT&T network. Rural internet customers with an internet connection may also find that a satellite internet plan or wireless data plan may offer internet speeds better than or equal to wired internet plans.